Far Northwest Side: Best Of City, Suburbs

Young Families Staking Claims In Neighborhoods

September 09, 1992|By Jeffrey Steele.

The growing number of young families into Norwood Park has resulted in remodeling and upgrading of homes, says James Del Medico, president of the Norwood Park Chamber of Commerce. ``Young families are attracted to Norwood Park for a lot of reasons: our schools, churches and parks, to name a few,``

he says. ``We have everything they need.``

Ralph Gambradella, 59, a firefighter in Engine Co. 11 in Norwood Park, says that growth of the community has created the need for different firefighting practices. ``It has made us more aware of having to know high-rise firefighting tactics,`` he says. ``We have to have the right equipment for those fires.``

Gambradella, who has worked at Engine Co. 11 for 3 1/2 years, believes that the community offers a variety of benefits. ``There are great shopping centers and a lot of food stores, and we have three health clubs in the area,`` he says. ``There is good public transportation, with the `L` train running all the way out to the airport.``

The neighborhoods are tucked into the far northwest corner of the city. The area`s eastern boundary is just west of Interstate Highway 94, extending northwest generally along the North Branch of the Chicago River. On the north and most of the west sides, the area is bounded by Niles and Park Ridge. Southern boundaries are Lawrence Avenue and the suburbs of Harwood Heights and Norridge.

Edison Park, the smallest of the neighborhoods, has a population 11,700, with a median age of 42 and a median family income of slightly more than $38,000 a year, according to the 1990 U.S. census. The average single-family home value is about $126,000, according to chamber of commerce figures.

Edison Park has about 400 businesses, including service, retail and manufacturing firms. The neighborhood has one public elementary school and two parochial elementary schools, and is served by Taft High School in Norwood Park. There are five churches within its boundaries and three neighborhood parks.

The largest of the three neighborhoods, Norwood Park has a population of almost 60,000, 46 percent of whom are older residents, according to the census. The community has six public and four parochial elementary schools. In addition to Taft, it has Resurrection High School, a Catholic girls school. The average home value is $145,000, says Joe Giambrone, owner of Northwest Realty.

A variety of amenities make the Norwood Park neighborhood an especially liveable area, Del Medico says. For example, park facilities are extensive. Norwood Park, which has a fieldhouse and an outdoor swimming pool, is one of the area`s eight neighborhood parks. There also are nine churches. The Carl B. Roden Branch of the Chicago Public Library there serves residents of Edison Park as well.

Jefferson Park, with a population of almost 40,000, according to the census, offers two major park facilities: Wilson Park at 4630 N. Milwaukee Ave. and Jefferson Park at 4822 N. Long Ave. Both have fieldhouses, and Jefferson Park has an outdoor swimming pool. The community has five public and four parochial elementary schools and nine churches. The Jefferson Park Branch of the Chicago Public Library and the Copernicus Center, a cultural and community center, serve the neighborhood.

Perhaps the best-known landmark in Jefferson Park is its modern transit station, which serves about 10,000 Metra and CTA ``L`` passengers and is a stopping point for more than 800 buses each weekday, according to Jefferson Park Chamber of Commerce figures. The terminal at 4917 N. Milwaukee Ave., nearby Interstate Highway 90, and the Jefferson Park stop on the northwest line of Metra`s Chicago & North Western railroad make the neighborhood one of the city`s premier transportation hubs.

These conveniences are a staple for the older residents in all three communities, officials say. Many of them moved to the communities in the 1940s and `50s, brought up their children and decided to stay. Others are emigres from other parts of the city.

One such resident is Ethel Jacobson, a widow who moved to Norwood Park with her husband more than a quarter century ago. ``We lived in Auburn Park on the South Side of Chicago up until 1965, and then we moved here,`` she says.

``I`ve always liked the community very much. It`s a nice, friendly area where you can feel comfortable. And I`ve enjoyed the chance to participate in several community organizations, like the Norwood Park Woman`s Club, the Norwood Park Garden Club and the Norwood Park Historical Society.``

Despite competition from nearby shopping malls, within and outside the city, many business owners say the communities continue to offer excellent commercial opportunities.

One business that has benefited from its close proximity to Jefferson Park`s CTA terminal is Veteran`s Food and Liquors, 4859 N. Milwaukee Ave., which became the first tenant in September 1990 in the Veteran`s Square Shopping Center, next to the terminal.